Faculty and Staff

The faculty of the Communication Studies Department consists of more than 13 full- and part-time members, each having extensive background in specific areas. The Department has advisors who specialize in public relations, advertising, organizational communication, journalism, and general communication.

Dr. Robson began his college studies in the field of engineering before discovering he really likes to talk to people. After a hiatus from college, during which he worked in the banking industry as a purchasing agent, Dr. Robson entered college at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he pursued a BA in Speech Communication and an MA in Communication. While there he served as a student member of the graduate council and as a graduate assistant in the Office of Research and Sponsored programs.

Upon completion of his master's program Dr. Robson moved to Lawrence, KS to attend the PhD program in Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. While a graduate teaching assistant there he received both a best new teaching assistant award (2001) and the William A. Conboy Graduate Leadership award (2005). While finishing his dissertation Dr. Robson worked as an instructor and visiting faculty member at Washburn University (2005-2007) before taking an Assistant Professor position with FHSU in 2007.

Since arriving at Fort Hays State University Dr. Robson has been an Assistant Professor (2007-2008), Assistant Professor and Interim Department Chair (2008-2009), Assistant Professor and Department Chair (2009-2014), and is currently a tenured Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication Studies. During his time at FHSU Dr. Robson has been nominated for awards in teaching and advising, was recognized as an Inspiring Professor by the FHSU Honor Society (2012), and won the Edmund Shearer Faculty Advisor of the Year award for the College of Arts and Sciences (2013). In addition to his departmental and teaching duties Dr. Robson is also the Chair of the Graduate Council Academic Affairs Subcommittee, and a member of the Tiger Media Network Board.

Dr. Carlson completed his undergraduate studies at Oregon State University in Communication and Computer Science and then stayed to complete my Masters in Communication and Adult Education. While at OSU he was a nationally ranked collegiate debater.

After finishing his Masters, Dr. Carlson served as a software and technical trainer before joining the PhD program in New Media Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago. While there he and colleagues coined "Conceptual Logistics" and founded the Society for Conceptual Logistics in Communication Research.

Dr. Chung teaches advertising, public relations, and mass communication courses. He holds two doctorates in Mass Communications (2012) and Instructional Technology (2015) from Texas Tech University. Prior to joining the faculty at FHSU, he had several years of online course design and teaching experience as a graduate instructor at Texas Tech University.

His research examines how humans interact with strategic communication messages (especially in emerging and interactive media, including video games, social media, and animations), focusing on the influence of content and structural features on emotion, cognition, and attitude formation. His findings have appeared in leading scholarly journals including Communication Research, Psychology & Marketing, Instructional Science, New Media & Society, Educational Technology & Society, Interactive Learning Environments, and others.

He received several research awards, including the American Academy of Advertising (AAA)'s dissertation grant award (2012), International Communication Association (ICA)'s top paper award in information systems (2013), and two outstanding dissertation awards in social sciences competition from Texas Tech University (2014, 2016).

Connie S. Eigenmann (B. A. Eastern Illinois University 1991, M. A. Eastern Illinois University 1992, Ph. D. University of Oklahoma 1995) has been affiliated with 15 professional communication organizations. She has presented over 30 refereed papers in intercultural communication and rhetoric; with research interests in electronic communication usage and storytelling.

Dr. Eigenmann has work experience in international management and consulting (15 years); public relations (5 years), university development and telemarketing (5 years); speech clinic & forensics judging (5 years); and teaching in higher education (over 20 years). Before joining the faculty at Fort Hays State University, she acted as Head of Business Communications, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman; Dean of the Indianapolis College of Business and Computer Science in Lahore, Pakistan; and Professor of English Communication at Shantou University, China. She has been affiliated with Lamson & Sessions, Inc. as a technical writer for their electrical conduit and fixture warehouse in Oklahoma City, USA.

Dr. Eigenmann has sojourned in eight countries working as a university professor, dean, foreign expert, and department chair. Her personal interests are in supporting young girls in developing countries to attain degrees, and in sending shoe box gifts to children in over 100 countries.

Marcella Marez

Ms. Marez has been teaching in Communication Studies for 10 years and has been the Basic Course Director for the last six years. Prior to coming to FHSU, Ms. Marez was a broadcaster and public relations professional. Ms. Marez is an award winning Student Organization Advisor (FHSU Stripes for St. Jude, formerly known as Up 'til Dawn).

Dr. Yang holds a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa, a nationally-recognized doctoral program; a Master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communication from Emerson College in Boston; a BA in Political Science from National Taiwan University. Early in her career, she worked as a political campaigner, a social activist, a radio host and a researcher in various organizations during Taiwan's democratization. Her diverse academic and professional experiences have bolstered her critical and creative thinking for teaching and research as well as her passion for community service. She is interested in cultural and media theories, public relations, social media, intercultural communications, and the connections between popular culture and participatory democracy.

Dr. Yang has advised many award-winning PR campaigns in state-wide collegiate contests. She has also been nominated for the Pilot Award, which recognizes an outstanding faculty member at FHSU, in two consecutive years. She serves on many department and university committees and is the co-founder and vice president of the Kansas Chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education (KS-NAME). In her leisure time, Dr. Yang enjoys reading, cooking, listening to music, and watching movies. She has traveled to 12 countries and would like to explore more cultures.